Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don’t use opioids.
The Vanderbilt University Medical Center study, released today by the Annals of Internal Medicine, found ......

Drugs tend to go in cycles, and although meth may seem like a thing of the past, it turns out it was only on hiatus. In other public health news: antibiotics, ovarian cancer, fertility, autism, high blood sugar and memory, the science of love, and more....

(Reuters) - OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP said on Saturday that it has cut its sales force in half and will stop promoting opioids to physicians, following widespread criticism of the ways that drugmakers market addictive painkillers....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. budget deal adopted by Congress on Friday includes what advocates call a landmark compromise to provide an estimated $1.5 billion over 10 years to try to keep struggling families together, including those with babies born dependent on opioids....

The Colorado Opioid Safety Pilot focuses on replacing opioids with other alternative medications to treat pain. The 10 EDs in Colorado that participated in the project decreased prescribing by 36% over six...

The Government Accountability Office recommends more federal guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services on what states and hospitals should do when it comes to infants affected by the opioid crisis, but the agency says it's doing enough. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump in recent speeches seems to be focusing on law enforcement over treatment to curb...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The federal government needs to take more steps to help states protect infants born affected by drugs such as opioids, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says in a new report released Wednesday....

Nearly all of kratom's major compounds bind to opioid receptors in the human brain, and two of the top five most prevalent compounds activate those receptors, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a...

US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned the public about the herbal supplement kratom in a statement on Tuesday, saying "There is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use" and likening its chemical compounds to opioids....

Public officials in British Columbia, Canada are using carefully regulated and secure vending machines to dispense prescription hydromorphone pills to addicts with chronic opioid use disorder, to help shield them from the deadly scourge of fentanyl-laced drugs currently circulating on the...

In his first State of the Union address tonight, President Donald J. Trump said he would work to reduce prescription drug prices, urged Congress to pass a "right-to-try" law, and applauded the elimination of the Affordable Care Act requirement that individuals purchase insurance. He also highlighted the need to take action on the opioid...